The present invention relates to flat, flexible, cable constructions, and particularly to such cable constructions to enable connectors to be attached.
Flat, flexible, cables are now widely used in various electrical devices, particularly those in which components are prepared by printed circuit techniques. The electrical device frequently includes two layers each containing electrically-conductive pathways to be connected together by a common connector. One example is a membrane switching assembly including two printed circuit sections to be connected together by a connector. In such applications, each printed circuit section is integrally formed with a flat flexible cable carrying a plurality of flat electrical conductors to be connected together by the connector.
In one known construction, the electrical conductors are covered by insulating material on the outer faces of the two flat electrical cables, but their ends are exposed on the inner faces for connection to the electrical connector. Such a construction utilizes a connector which pierces the outer insulating faces of the flat cables in order to make connections to the electrical conductors.
Another construction is known wherein the ends of the flat cables to be connected to the connector are formed with cut-outs so as to expose the conductor ends for connection to the connector. Such a construction enables "H-type" connectors, or other connectors having sliding conacts, to be used, instead of piercing contacts. This is an advantage since it enables such connectors to be conveniently applied and removed as desired, as compared to the piercing-type connectors which are usually intended only for one-time use. However, the latter cable construction enabling the use of sliding-contact type connectors present difficulties in the application of the connector to the end of the cable because the cut-outs formed at the ends produce a non-continuous edge, partly of single thickness and partly of double thickness.